POINTS TO BE PONDERED:
1.First find a mentor/guide whose designation should be Assistant Professor or at higher level.
2. Better to ask from them about topics, in which topic you should select, as they have more exprience you. They choose a suitable topic which can be easily accepted by icmr officials.
3. After approval for the Sts propasal, get a ethical certificate, it is done by your mentor.
4. After acceptance the final sts project, if you want to publish, please publish in recognized journals, otherwise of no value of your research
5. You find the recognized journals, the jouurnals indexed in SCOPUS, EMBASE, PUBMED and DOAJ.
6.First try to publish in IJMR, if they reject there is little chance for acceptance in other journals indexed in PUBMED.
7.If you are rejected from everywhere, don’t be sad, try JCDR, even they reject, try DOAJ indexed journal like JSTMU, Majmaah journal of health sciences.
8. NEVER BE HURRY TO PUBLISH YOUR PRECIOUS RESEARCH IN PREDATORY JOURNAL LIKE omics, IT may take 1 year or more, but if you do your research in honest, your project definately be selected by above indexed journals.
9. Bless from my side.
FORMAT FOR STS PROPOSAL
It is a dream of every medical student to do some research
in medical colleges, but they often don’t know where to start or whom to ask
for help—seniors, teachers, or others. To clear all these doubts, I am here. I
am also a medico who had these curiosities. But once, I decided ("เคฎैंเคจे เคธเคชเคฅ เคฒिเคฏा" - Maine sapath liya - I made a vow)
that I had to do it, so I started searching the internet, asking seniors and
teachers, as I had to struggle a lot being in the second batch of my college. I
had the same doubts, but incidentally, I asked my elder brother, Dr. Subhasish
Dwari Bhai, how to start, and he guided me. That’s when I got some ideas. I
learned that there is something called the ICMR-STS project, which also
provides funding for your research. ("เคฎเคจ
เคฎें เคชैเคธो เคी เคฌाเคค
เคธोเคเคเคฐ เคुเคฆเคुเคฆी เคนोเคจे เคฒเคी" - Man mein paiso ki baat sochkar
gudgudi hone lagi - Thinking about the money made me feel excited). The next
morning, I started searching for my goal: "how to do any research."
I visited my favorite teacher, from whom I am very much
inspired, Dr. Manoj Kumar Dash sir, who is currently an Associate Professor in
Community Medicine at Keonjhar Medical College, Odisha. But at that time, he
was our Assistant Professor. He is a very great sir and a very good human being
as well. Sir, used”apana”(a odia word used in respect to elders or any senior
officials, as in hindi we use “aap”) for me, which is very much surprising,
simultaneously I also feel shame, as I am nothing in front of him. I approached him and said I wanted to do the
STS research project and asked for his guidance. He told me to first ask HOD of Community medicine, Dr. Krishna Kar mam
, as their permission is essential for this project. So, I went to my HOD and
expressed my interest in doing the STS research project. She very much happy
and encouraged me to doing so. She asked with which teacher I wanted to work
with, and I chose my favorite sir. Then I rushed to him and asked how to start.
He told suggest some topics from your side, which were very
absurd and would take a very long time, as the STS project only allows two
months to complete your project. Additionally, it was very costly, and the STS
fund couldn’t cover it. Then sir asked for some time to decide the topic. After
two days, I received a call from my sir that a topic was decided named
"Estimation of body fat mass as a measure of obesity among UG medical
students and its correlation with clinical markers of obesity (BMI)," and
without taking a minute, I totally agreed on it. ("เคฎुเคे เคुเค
เคญी เคฐिเคธเคฐ्เค เคा เคเค เคนिเคธ्เคธा
เคนोเคจा เคฅा, เคो เคญी
เคนो" - Mujhe kuch
bhi research ka ek hissa hona tha, jo bhi ho - I just wanted to be part of any
research, whatever it may be).
But the main problem was that we were planning all these
things in September, and till now, STS hadn't released any new registration.
Usually, it releases its registration date in December or January during my
time, but now it may have changed, so check the website for recent updates.
Finally, the long wait was over and December arrived. I couldn’t control my
anxiety to register myself in ICMR-STS. ("เคฒेเคिเคจ
เคฏे เคตेเคฌเคธाเคเค เคตाเคฒे เคฒिंเค เคฆे
เคนी เคจเคนीं เคฐเคนे เคฅे"
- Lekin ye website wale link de hi nahi rahe the - But the website wasn't
providing the link), and at last, in January, I thought the link came, and I
registered for it. The next day, I immediately met my sir and informed him that
the link had come, and asked for some information from him that I needed. Sir
had a very busy schedule, so he could provide the STS proposal very late, but I
managed to upload the same on the website at correct time. Then, I had to wait
another 1-2 months for the result to see whether the higher officials at ICMR
liked the proposal or not. Because after the acceptance, you can start your
research. Finally, the result came. I forgot to mention that another two
students from my batch also applied for the same. Sadly, none of them were
selected, but mine was. ("เคฎेเคฐी
เคुเคถी เคจเคนीं เคธเคฎा เคฐเคนी
เคฅी" - Meri khushi
nahi sama rahi thi - I couldn't contain my happiness). I was the first student
from my college whose STS project was selected. Then the real struggle
began—how to start the project.
I went to my well-wisher, my sir, and asked for guidance. He
said that before starting our research project, I needed some equipment like a
stadiometer, a body fat analyzer machine, and a measuring tape. ("เคเคช เคธोเค เคฐเคนे
เคนैं เคि เคฏे เคฌเคนुเคค
เคोเคी เคीเคें เคนैं เคो เคिเคธी
เคญी เคฌाเคाเคฐ เคฎें เคเคชเคฒเคฌ्เคง เคนो
เคธเคเคคी เคนैं" - Aap soch rahe
hain ki ye bahut chhoti cheezen hain jo kisi bhi bazaar mein uplabdh ho sakti
hain - You might think these are small things available in any market), but the
real twist started from here. You can’t perform your research with just any
instrument. You need standardized machines for it. For the body fat analyzer,
we required "the OMRON Karada body composition monitor HBF-375," for
the stadiometer, we required "Prestige stadiometer," and for the
measuring tape, we needed "Seca 201." I managed to arrange the latter
two, but the first one was ordered by my sir from Delhi, and it took time to
arrive. But I couldn’t control my enthusiasm. Sir told me that since we ordered
all these things and it would take time for delivery, we could work on the questionnaire
part in the meantime.
This questionnaire contained demographic details of the
participants and questions about their diets, lifestyles, etc. So, we can
relate the obesity with various factors. This questionnaire was provided by my
great sir, influenced by a standard questionnaire from WHO. Then I xeroxed
these questionnaires and distributed them to all of my classmates and juniors.
Sir also helped me by distributing these questionnaires in his own classes,
i.e., to my juniors after explaining everything to them. Thank you so much,
sir. I can’t forget your help and kindness and being for so much down to earth.
Then the laziness started in returning these questionnaires. Many students
returned them on time, but others took a lot of time. Some students thought
that they weren’t obliged to fill them out and didn’t cooperate. ("เคฎैंเคจे เคธंเคฆेเคถ เคญेเคा เคि เคฏเคน
เคนเคฎाเคฐा เคชเคนเคฒा เคเคธเคीเคเคธ เคช्เคฐोเคेเค्เค
เคนै เคृเคชเคฏा เคเคธเคฎें เคธเคนเคฏोเค เคเคฐें" - Maine sandesh
bheja ki yah hamara pehla STS project hai kripya ismein sahyog karein - I sent
a message asking them to cooperate as this was our first STS project). Your
contribution is essential; otherwise, I can't complete my project. What I say one
of them, is my very close. Forget about these things. Although we could have
manipulated the data by filling it out ourselves, I didn’t do it because it was
our college’s first project, and I didn’t want any questions raised about it.
So, I did everything honestly.
To get the remaining forms filled out, I had to make many
requests and faced abuse and mockery from my own classmates and even some
friends. One of my closest colleague, with whom I talked very much, he throw the paper in front of me, i felt very sad on that day. ("เคเคจเคा เคฒเคाเคคाเคฐ เคธเคตाเคฒ เคฐเคนเคคा เคฅा
เคि เคฎुเคे เค्เคฏा เคฎिเคฒेเคा"
- Unka lagataar sawal rehta tha ki mujhe kya milega - Their constant question
was, "What will I get?"), ("เคชैเคธे
เคฆो, เคคเคฌ เคนเคฎ เคญเคฐेंเคे"
- Paise do, tab hum bharenge - Give us money, then we’ll fill it out). One
thing to remember is that people only help you when they need something from
you. This doesn't apply to everyone, but it does to some. Please ignore such
people in life, and God will guide you. So be relaxed. After many struggles, I
was able to reach my target number of participants i.e.384 students. Otherwise
project has no more validity. By that time, all the required machines had been
delivered. Then I called all the CRs(class representatives) of our junior
batches and asked them to collect the names of voluntary students who would
participate in our ICMR research project. Some interested students gave their
names, and we formed a group of 10 students, including me, called "ICMR
RESEARCH GROUP," whose members are as follows:
(a) Sanjukta Behera (5th year)
(b) Nikhil Kumar Behera (3rd year)
(c) Rupanshu Sahoo (3rd year)
(d) Shaswat Kumar Nayak (3rd year)
(e) Suchitra Datta (3rd year)
(f) Meeta Bhoi (3rd year)
(g) Jayashree Dhal (2nd year)
(h) Arpit Jaganath (2nd year)
(i) Lopamudra Bhuyan (2nd year)
And also Suraj, CR of the juniormost batch, helped me a lot,
even with his hypertension problem. That’s a big story.
Sanjukta behera, my classmate, your help never be forgetted
by me.Thank you so much
Their hard work can’t be explained in words. I want to thank
them a lot for helping me selflessly. It took almost 1.5 months to gather data,
and the remaining time was spent with sir and me analyzing it. Then we made a
final STS report for submission. I submitted my report and waited another 2-3
months for the result. Finally, I was happy to hear that my STS project was
approved, and I became the first student from our college whose project was
selected by STS. ("เคซिเคฐ
เคुเคถी เคซूเคฒे เคจเคนीं เคธเคฎा
เคฐเคนी เคฅी เคตाเคฒी เคฌाเคค
เคนै" - Phir khushi
phule nahi sama rahi thi wali baat hai - Then it was one of those moments where
I couldn't contain my happiness). I spread the news to my whole family, my
friends, and, of course, my ICMR research group. "เคนเคฐ เคฐाเคค
เคे เคฌाเคฆ เคเค เคจเคฏा
เคธเคตेเคฐा เคเคคा เคนै।" (Har raat ke baad ek naya savera aata
hai- "After every night, a new morning dawns."),this is true for the
members of my ICMR research group. ๐๐.
Then I decided to throw a great dinner party at Namaste
Baripada to celebrate this success. We enjoyed the dinner a lot and clicked a
group selfie, which will be memorable for all of us for life.
Then the second struggle began. "เคฎेเคฐा เคตाเคฆा, เคि เคฎैं เคเคธे เคเค recognized journal เคฎें publish เคเคฐเคตाเคंเคा" (Mera
wada, ki main ise ek recognized journal mein publish karwaunga - My promise was
to get it published in a recognized journal). So, my sir told me to first
submit it to IJMR as their branch funded us, but I was very disappointed when
they rejected our research project, saying that they had received similar
projects from many , so they couldn’t accept it.
Then I discussed this with my sir. He told me that if you
are a student from a famous college, they immediately accept your project
without thinking much. He gave me encouragement and advised me to keep
submitting my research paper to journals and not lose hope. But he also said
something very important: NEVER SUBMIT YOUR JOURNAL TO A PREDATORY JOURNAL, AS
THEY CAN MISUSE YOUR WORK AND EVEN BLACKMAIL YOU. I WILL EXPLAIN THIS IN MORE
DETAIL LATER.
He advised me to submit to EMBASE, SCOPUS, PUBMED, and
DOAJ-indexed journals because they only index recognized journals, so you are
very safe from predatory journals by applying to these journals. I initially
applied to the first three journals, but all rejected my project. The most
frustrating thing was that these journals never rejected your research
immediately; first, you had to fulfill all their requests, get your mentor’s
signature on all documents(3-4 in number), and even your dean’s, and then
submit everything. Later, they rejected it by saying that your research didn’t
meet their standards. "เคธेเคฒेเค्เค
เคเคฐเคจा เคนी เคจเคนीं เคฅा เคคो เคเคคเคจा เคฌेเคซाเคฒเคคू เคा เคเคท्เค เคเคฐเคตाเคฏा เคนी เค्เคฏों" (Select
karna hi nahin tha to itna befaltu ka kasht karwaya hi kyun - If they didn’t
intend to select it, why did they put me through all this unnecessary
trouble?).
After a long wait of 1 year, my project was finally selected
by JSTMU Journal and published on 2nd August 2024.
But one thing I forgot to mention is that I also became a
victim of a predatory journal, "Omics Journal." Just remember, never
even submit your project to them. According to their guidelines, you first have
to pay a large amount of money, and then they will publish your project. Since
my project wasn’t accepted by any journals, I was really frustrated, so I
decided to publish it in any journal just to get it published, ignoring my
sir’s warning. So, I applied to Omics Journal. Within 2-3 days, they accepted
it and demanded a huge amount of money for publication, but I negotiated it
down to ₹10,000. However, I later decided not to publish there because sir told
me that if you publish in any journal, other than recognized, then all your
efforts are wasted. When you pursue higher studies, if you mention this
research in your bio, it won’t be considered valid. Therefore, try to publish
only in recognized journals.
But one day, I received an email from a journal I had
applied to, stating that they were rejecting my research paper because my
project was already published. I was astonished to see this and couldn’t decide
what to do. Then I also received an email from JCDR, stating that my project
was rejected due to self-plagiarism, which meant the same. So, I wrote an email
to Omics Journal, asking, "Why did you publish my research paper without
my permission?" They simply replied that as they were delaying the publication
of their new edition, they published my paper without my permission. When I
demanded that they remove my research paper from their site, they blackmailed
me by demanding a huge amount of money, ₹90,000, which was completely
unacceptable.
Then, my sir told me to just negotiate with them and try to
get them down to ₹10,000 for the removal. If the paper is already published on
any site, recognized journals will not accept your paper. I found myself in a
dilemma about what to do. I also met with an advocate about this issue. He
simply advised me to ignore their emails and not pay a single penny because
even after paying this money, there is no guarantee they would remove it. They
might demand another huge amount of money for its removal because if any
journal publishes your paper without a copyright agreement, they can do
anything.
So, I finally decided after the discussion with my father, I
didn’t respond to their emails, and finally, God heard my prayers, and my
project was selected by JSTMU.
PLEASE REMEMBER THAT AVOID PUBLISHING YOUR PAPER IN MORE
THAN ONE JOURNAL, AS IT DECREASES THE VALIDITY OF YOUR RESEARCH PAPER.
I recommend that if your research is not very strong, first
apply to JCDR. They will simply publish it after evaluating it and charging
some money. If it does not get published there, then try DOAJ-indexed journals.
I also want to thank the dean at that time Dr. Punyansu Mohanty sir from whom we got to know many thing about life.
https://www.ijmrhs.com/author/subhasish-dwari-10061
My project
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/382837460_Estimation_of_body_fat_mass_percentage_as_measure_of_obesity_among_undergraduate_medical_students_and_its_correlation_with_clinical_markers_of_obesityMeet in the next blog
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Nice project ๐
ReplyDeleteVery nice ๐
ReplyDelete